Hi from Northern California. I stumbled upon this website when someone suggested various vegan/vegetarian resources for bodybuilding. I am interested in this community as it seems to attract more conscious weight lifters. Seems bodybuilding.com is full of insensitive meat heads, I've seen some pretty mean posts towards well meaning folks there when they spoke from their hearts.

I am a new dad, now in my mid 40's but I've been weight lifting since high school and I am lucky to be an easy muscle gainer. My body fat is low enough to still show off my 6-pack, but at my age the 6-pack disappears pretty quickly if I eat sugary stuff, especially chocolate, which sucks big time. The days I used to be able to eat just about anything and burn it off no problems are long gone.

I am interested in information about diet, herbs and protein supplementation. I hope I won't get judged for not being vegan, but I am a conscious eater, both from a health and spiritual perspective, and I am interested in learning more. I've been experimenting with replacing milk whey protein with soy protein isolate, as new research shows that it will in fact increase testosterone levels in men. So far it seems to work. I am also playing around with rice protein and some other vegan proteins to see what sorts of effects they have.

I am interested in what others are using for vegan protein supplementation and also if there is a healthier substitute for creatine. Unfortunately, with my mostly meatless diet, the creatine supplement really has a significant effect on both muscle size and power, but I'd like to dump it if I can.

I know what you mean about bodybuilding.com, I've seen it, too. Sad. You're right, this place is more laid back and diverse. Not all of us are strict vegans, so don't worry about it. We're here to learn from each other.

Explore the threads, get some ideas, try 'em out. See what works for you. Post pics and/or start a training journal if you feel like it. From one 40+ lifetime weightlifter to another, don't be so quick to blame anything on age. I've seen way too many examples of starting late and succeeding, amazing turnarounds, and 70+ bodybuilders who could crack a walnut between their finger and their thumb to doubt that you can do anything you want to once you find your method.

Baby Herc

PS: How far north in Cali? I'm just above you in Portland, OR. All hail Trader Joe's!

Baby Herc, thanks for the welcome. I live in the Monterey Bay area, just south of the Bay area. It's really Central California, but anything north of Monterey seems to get lumped into Northern California.

I hear what you are saying about age as an excuse, I've been making excuses before, but this past year I've been on a rampage in the gym mostly because I want to be fit for my son so I can play with him. I had an older dad and he was pretty much useless when it came to play.

Needless to say, thanks to a combination of yoga, good cardio, good protein supplementation and some most excellent acupuncture and Chinese herbs, I am delighted with my progress - 6'1", 205-210 pounds and ripped. It definitely takes more work at this age but it's worth it.

That, right there. Stop saying things like that! You are ripped, period. Let 'em guess at your age. Then, when they finally ask how old you are, tell them you are ten years older than you actually are. It'll freak 'em out.

I would recommend supplements with a variety of proteins in them like hemp, rice, pea, chorella, etc. Vega is my favorite but sunwarrior and plantprotein both make good ones as well as others. Veganproteins.com which has links on the main page of this website is a good place to buy from. I know the owners personally and they are super nice folks, plus they have good prices, always give extras, and if you ask them they will send you samples out too. I used to live in the bay (Mission district in SF). Monterey is a nice area too. Welcome to the group, I think you'll like it here.

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